Gastrological Forecast

By Gwyneth Doland

Have you been to Epicurious? If the answer is yes, pat yourself on the back, bask a moment in righteous glory and move along to “The Dish”. If the answer is, “What the hell is Epicurious, and will I need any vaccinations?” then it's about time you came out of the dark ages, my friend. Epicurious.com is a miraculous website run by the folks who publish Gourmet and Bon Appétit. It's an indispensable tool and I can't imagine living without it, but judging by the number of people who still ask me what to do with turnips, it's still not bookmarked on everyone's toolbar. Click on the search box and type in the ingredient that's loitering menacingly at the bottom of your fridge. Whether it's sorrel, goat cheese or beets, Epicurious will give you a long list of ideas for what to do with it. (In fact, type in all three and you'll find a fabulous-looking recipe for sorrel-wrapped goat cheese and beet stacks.) Next time you're standing there in the produce aisle, staring at the enoke mushrooms and thinking, “Hmm...” just throw them in the cart. Go home, tap tap tap and your guests are remarking on the genius of your wild mushroom and arugula crostini, or the delightful tang of your Thai shrimp curry. “I never knew what to do with those weird little mushrooms,” the guests will say. “Oh! There are tons of things you can do with them!”